As red tide ravages the Gulf coast, vacationers like Lea Barny are still enjoying Pass-A-Grille.
“The water is actually crystal clear. You can see the bottom. Nothing on the shores on the sand or anything, “ Barney said. “So, it’s great so far.”
It’s why Joe Monteiro said he moved his family vacation from Sarasota.
“We saw all the dead fish on the shoreline and had to come up here to St. Pete.”
After a foiled trip to Siesta Key, Sandy Gantt also made the trip to Pass-A-Grille. We spoke to her at the Hurricane Seafood Restaurant for a change of scenery and crab legs.
“In Siesta Key, there are people with masks and it really did ruin my plans. I really am upset,” she said.
Manager Russ Haynes says Gantt and Monteiro are just a few of many who are evacuating to Pinellas County because of red tide.
“It’s increased our business,” Haynes said. “It’s really given our beach economy a boost. We are busier than we normally are. I’ve seen the impact of people coming from the south having to come up here.”
While the Florida Wildlife Commission reports people with respiratory problems in Pass-A-Grille, Haynes, who works on the beach daily, says he hasn’t noticed.
“It’s been normal actually. We had a bit of red tide here last year for a little bit and then you could really notice it in the air,” he said.
In a place no stranger to red tide, it seems as though Pass-A-Grille has escaped the worst of it. People we spoke to hope it stays that way.
Part of Gov. Rick Scott's state of emergency declaration directed $500,000 to Visit Florida to help communities promote travel to affected areas.
We reached out to Visit St. Pete-Clearwater to see if they'll benefit from any of the grant money. They have yet to comment.
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